Guide to African American
History Materials
in Manuscript and Visual Collections
at the Indiana Historical Society
Originally compiled as a printed
guide
(Selected African-American History Collections) by
Wilma L. Gibbs, 1996
Revised and updated by Wilma L.
Gibbs
as an online guide, 2002 and 2004
15 July 2004
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
This guide describes manuscript and visual collections in the William Henry Smith Memorial Library of the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) that document the experiences of African Americans in Indiana. In 1982, a collecting effort was formalized at the Historical Society to address the concern for the paucity of records available for doing research on the history of African Americans in the state. The purpose of that effort continues to be to collect, process, preserve, and disseminate information related to the history of black Hoosiers. The Archivist, African American History is available to answer and direct research questions from the public. Indiana Historical Society members can receive Black History News & Notes, a quarterly newsletter that publicizes library collections, relevant historical events, and short papers pertaining to Indiana’s black history.
Preserving Indiana’s African American heritage is a cooperative venture. The Society needs your help in providing information about existing records in attics, basements, and garages that can be added to the library’s collections. As more records are collected and organized, a more accurate and complete interpretation of Indiana history will emerge. If you or someone you know has manuscripts (letters, diaries, account books, journals, etc.), rare books, photographs, or maps related to Indiana history, please contact the Indiana Historical Society Library.
Guide to African American History Materials in Manuscript and Visual Collections at the Indiana Historical Society is an annotated guide to the manuscript and visual holdings pertaining to blacks at the Indiana Historical Society. The guide is divided into six subject areas: Personal Papers (broadly defined to include those collections that pertain to a given individual); Organizations, Institutions, and Projects; Communities; Education; Race Relations; and Religious Institutions.
Many of the collections listed in this guide were donated during the Black Women in the Middle West Project, a collecting effort to gather primary source materials of African American women in Illinois and Indiana. The Society has the administrative records of the project, as well as numerous collections of individuals and organizations. Collections donated during the project are noted.
Most of the collections included in this subject guide have individual collection guides, as indicated by each entry. Collection guides, available at the Society’s library and on its website, give a more complete description of collections and generally contain a historical or biographical sketch, scope and content note, a series listing, and a list of boxes and folders in the collection.
For each collection described below the following information is provided:
· Collection title
· Collection number: M (for manuscript collections one document case or greater), SC (for manuscript collections less than one document case), BV (for bound volumes such as scrapbooks and ledgers), OM (for oversize manuscripts less than one box), OMB (for oversize manuscripts one box or greater), F (microfilm), CT (cassette tapes), and P (visual materials)
· Size of collection: box, folder, volume, microfilm reel, or cassette tape quantities
· The availability of a collection guide describing the collection, usually at the folder level
· Brief description of the collection
Additional access points to manuscript collections include OCLC (Online Computer Library Center, Inc.) and NUCMC (National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections). The library's online catalog is another source of information on manuscript collections. Many collection guides are available on the IHS website. Newly cataloged collections and collection guides are added to the online catalog and website regularly; please check them for recent additions.
Other subject guides available from the Indiana Historical Society or on our website include:
· Guide to Ethnic History Collections, compiled by Paul A. Brockman in 1996, revised 2002
· Guide to African-American Printed Sources at the Indiana Historical Society, compiled by Wilma L. Gibbs, 1997
· Guide to Women’s History Materials in Manuscript Collections at the Indiana Historical Society, 2002 (compiled by Alexandra S. Gressitt in 1997; revised and updated by Glenn McMullen in 2000; updated by Pamela Tranfield in 2002 and by Glenn McMullen in 2003 and 2004)
· Guide to Railroad History Materials in Manuscript and Visual Collections at the Indiana Historical Society, compiled by Glenn McMullen, 2004
If you have African American history materials of potential interest that you might like to donate, or for further information on related collections at IHS, contact:
Wilma L. Gibbs
Archivist, African American History
Indiana Historical Society
450 W. Ohio St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 234-0049
wgibbs@indianahistory.org
ARMSTRONG, IRVEN. Collection, 1918–1996 (bulk 1918–1992). M 0745. 1 box. Collection guide online. The collection contains letters written by female students to Sergeant Irven Armstrong while he was stationed in France during World War I. The young women attended Indianapolis Public Schools #17. In general, the letters wish him well, commend his war service, express home front support of American soldiers, comment on the effects of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic, thank him for keeping America safe for Democracy, and bid him a safe return. The letters, executed with good penmanship, contain the signatures and addresses of the students, all who lived within blocks of the near westside school. All letters are dated 7 November 1918.
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ARTIS, LIONEL F. Papers, 1933–1967. M 0762, OM 0401. 1 box, 1 oversize folder. Collection guide online. Lionel F. Artis (1895–1971) was born in Paris, Illinois. He grew up and received his early education in Indianapolis. He served with the army during World War I in Beaune, France. In 1933 he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Chicago. He received a Master of Arts degree from Indiana University in 1941.
Artis was a civic leader in Indianapolis. He served as a board member of twenty-three organizations. As assistant secretary of the Senate YMCA, Artis organized the first Boy Scout Troop at that institution. From 1937 to 1969, he managed Lockefield Gardens, a public housing facility. He was one of the organizers of Flanner House Homes. Artis was also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
The collection includes correspondence, diplomas and programs from graduations, a military patch, newspaper clippings, photographs, and awards. Of special note are a constitution, minute book, and some administrative documents of the Community Hospital Association. The hospital was established in 1932 to aid with health care services for African Americans in Indianapolis.
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BEESON, CECIL: Jesse Pettiford Research Collection, 1972–1988. SC 2683. 1 folder. Collection guide online. Jesse Pettiford (ca. 1818–64) was living in Jennings County, Indiana, when he mustered into the United States Army in February 1864. He enlisted with the 28th United States Colored Troops, Company F, in Indianapolis. Pettiford did not return to his wife, Anna Blanks (ca. 1818–1920), and their several children after his military service. There are disputed reports on his whereabouts after the war. According to an 1883 memorandum concerning a pension claim from the Adjutant General's office of the War Department, Pettiford died of pleurisy at Camp Fremont in Indianapolis on 26 April 1864. The records from the Indiana Adjutant General's office and the published Civil War report of W. H. H. Terrell state that Pettiford deserted the Army in March 1864. Pettiford family oral tradition suggests that Pettiford was poisoned while he was on active duty.
From 1972 to 1988, in an effort to research Pettiford, Cecil Beeson corresponded with staff at several institutions including the Indiana State Library, Henry County Memorial Hospital, the National Archives, and the Indiana Historical Society. In addition to his correspondence, the collection includes copies of a certificate of enlistment and service, pension claims and affidavits, and an 1868 marriage license for Anna Pettifoot (sic) and William Hood.
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BLACKBURN, DORA ATKINS. Papers, 1926–1978 (bulk 1926–1978). M 0634. 1 box. Collection guide in library. Dora Atkins Blackburn was born in Indianapolis and attended Butler University. After her mother’s death, she and her sister Murray Atkins took over Atkins Flower Shop, started by her mother. Dora Atkins operated the flower shop in Indianapolis for over fifty years. The collection contains several photographs of Blackburn, including a 1910 photograph of Blackburn with three classmates crocheting at school. There are materials related to the Blackburn genealogy; Blackburn’s mother, Dora Graham Atkins; and her father, Calvin R. Atkins, a physician. A 1937 letter from Arthur T. Long refers to an article about Dora Blackburn that appeared in Opportunity, the news magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The collection contains photographs and clippings about the Atkins Flower Shop, including a guest list from the 50th anniversary celebration of the business. Mayor William H. Hudnut proclaimed 20 November 1977 Dora Atkins Blackburn day in Indianapolis. Items relating to Calvin R. Atkins include a copy of the first annual report (1910) of Lincoln Hospital, established by black physicians to serve African Americans in Indianapolis at a time of rigid segregation and critical health care concerns.
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BROKENBURR, ROBERT LEE. Papers, 1941–1973. M 0492, OM 0223, BV 2432–2434. 1 box, 1 oversize folder, 3 volumes. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide in library. Robert Lee Brokenburr (1886–1974), an attorney, was the first African American to serve in the Indiana State Senate. His parents were Benjamin and Mary Elizabeth Baker Brokenburr. He graduated from Hampton Institute and Howard University Law School. He was admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1917. Brokenburr married Alice Julia Glover in 1910. They had two children, Nerissa Lee (Stickney) and Alice Olga (Ray). Alice Julia died in 1945, and in 1948 Brokenburr married Jeanette Walker Hightower. Brokenburr often sat as judge pro-tem of the municipal, superior, and circuit courts of Marion County. He was deputy prosecuting attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit of Indiana. As a legislator, he authored many bills that passed into law, especially in the area of civil rights.
Included in this collection are three scrapbooks, mostly about Brokenburr's senatorial career and several miscellaneous items. There are banquet programs, newspaper clippings, certificates, telegrams, and a list of bills authored by Brokenburr from 1941 to 1973.
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BROOKS, HARRY W. Papers, 1930–2000 (bulk 1970–1978). M 0753, OM 0391. 4 boxes, 3 oversize folders. Collection guide online. Harry William Brooks, Jr. (1928–), was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Harry William, Sr., and Nora Elaine Bailey Brooks. He attended the local public schools, graduating from Crispus Attucks High School in 1947. He enlisted as a private in the United States Army at age 19. He retired as a Major General in 1976. Brooks went to Basic Training in 1947. He married Doris Elizabeth Greene (17 March 1930–29 October 1979) in 1948. Four children were born to this union. Later, he married June C. Hezakiah.
Brooks served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. From 1974 to 1976, he was the commanding General of the Army's famed 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. Highly decorated, Brooks became a major general in 1974. After retiring from the military, Brooks joined Amfac, Inc. of Hawaii. When he left Amfac, Inc. in 1984, he was Executive Vice President of the company. Later that year, Brooks and his colleagues started Advanced Consumer Marketing Corporation. He is currently chairman of Brooks, International.
The collection materials reflect the career of a United States Army officer. It contains biographical materials, military orders and citations, speeches, reports, program booklets, news clippings, and photographs. There are several photographs of Brooks in uniform, and images of him with prominent politicians, entertainers, and civic leaders.
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CHAMBERS, WILLIAM A. Papers, 1971–1985. SC 2438. 4 folders. Collection guide online. William Alexander Chambers (1898–1985), the son of Jesse W. and Nancy Violet Graves Chambers, was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. After serving in World War I, Chambers settled in Indianapolis. He worked for Ferguson Printing Company, and during his fifty years of newspaper experience he served as an editor for three black weeklies. An aspiring fiction writer during his later life, Chambers spent time developing two works entitled "A Summer of Uncommon Retrospects" and "Rotterham Lodge Tales."
The collection contains biographical notes and obituaries pertaining to Chambers; materials related to an unpublished manuscript; and biographical information written by Chambers about the Eli Lilly family.
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CHESTER, EMMA LEE. Papers, 1962–1985. M 0498. 2 boxes. Collection guide online. The oldest of ten children born to Aron and Teadie Devine, Emma Lee Devine Chester (1942–) was born in Starkville, Mississippi. Chester received a B.A. from Mississippi State University and a M.S. from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. She began her teaching career with the Indianapolis Public Schools in 1972.
The collection contains the personal papers of Emma L. Chester and Julie Davis, a worker for the Marion County Welfare Department. It consists mostly of correspondence, certificates, and newspaper clippings.
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CHILDS, HESTER B. Papers, 1944–1987. M 0676. 1 box. Collection guide online. Hester Blanche Childs (1909–87), although born in Duncan, Mississippi, lived most of her life in Indianapolis. A nurse by profession, Childs was also active in numerous civic and social organizations. The collection contains materials relating to Childs and other family members and highlights her activities in various clubs and organizations.
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CONN, HARRIETTE BAILEY. Papers, 1909–1990. M 0692, OM 0370. 8.5 boxes, 3 oversize folders. Collection guide online. Harriette Vesta Bailey Conn (1922–1981) was the daughter of Robert Lieutenant and Nelle Vesta Bailey. Born in Indianapolis, she completed her early education in the city's school system, graduating from Crispus Attucks High School at the age of 14 years. Following in her father's footsteps, in 1941, she became a second-generation alumnus of Talladega College, and she later became an attorney. Her father, Robert L. Bailey, served as deputy attorney general to James Ogden from 1930 to 1932.
From 1955 to 1965, Harriette Bailey Conn served as deputy attorney general of Indiana under Edwin K. Steers. On 1 May 1970, the Supreme Court of Indiana appointed Conn State Public Defender, a position she held until her death. Succeeding Mel Thornberg of Anderson, Conn was the first woman and the first African American to hold the position. Under Conn's direction, the office that provided legal services for Indiana inmates who could not afford to appeal their convictions or sentences grew from a staff of three in 1970 to twenty-seven in 1981.
Most of the material in the collection relates to Conn, her family, her organizational affiliations, and her legal career.
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COOPER, PAULA. Case Records, 1986–1989. M 0565. 2 boxes. Collection guide online. Paula Cooper (1970–) was convicted of killing Ruth Pelke. Pelke was stabbed 33 times on 14 May 1985 in Gary, Indiana. According to reports, Cooper and three younger friends skipped school, drank wine, and smoked marijuana before visiting Pelke and inquiring about Bible lessons. Testimony further alleged that Pelke was murdered after admitting the girls into her house. They took ten dollars and the keys to Pelke's car. The assigned public defender advised Cooper to plead guilty. Judge James Kimbrough sentenced Cooper to death. She was sent to death row at the Indiana Women's Prison. In December 1986 Cooper's case was taken up by Monica Foster, a young lawyer who had worked as a public defender. Foster and others organized a campaign on Cooper's behalf, based on mounting public opinion, particularly in Europe and especially in Italy, where the death penalty had been outlawed. Appeals were made to the Indiana Supreme Court, which received two million signatures; to Gov. Robert Orr, who received an appeal from the Pope in September 1987; and to the United Nations, which received a million signatures. The Indiana Supreme Court heard arguments in the case, and on 13 July 1989, the Court overturned the death sentence, substituting the maximum allowable prison term (60 years with a minimum term of 26 years).
The collection contains letters, telegrams, petitions, and cards arranged chronologically and addressed to the Indiana Supreme Court on behalf of Paula Cooper’s death sentence conviction. The vast majority of the appeals came from Italy, with some items sent from Belgium, Holland, and West Germany.
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CURRY, JUNE RESNOVER. Family Papers, 1905–1921. SC 2471, OM 214. 2 folders, 1 oversize folder. Collection guide online. Cora Resnover Hampton (ca. 1890‑1945) and Willa Resnover Donaldson (ca. 1894‑1978) were the daughters of James H. and Narcissus Stokes Resnover. The sisters, who came to Indianapolis at an early age from Nashville, Tennessee, were educated in the Indianapolis public schools. They attended Frederick Douglass School # 19, Manual High School, and Teacher's College of Indianapolis which later became the Blaker College of Education at Butler University. Both sisters became teachers; Hampton taught in Indianapolis and Donaldson in Carbondale and Cairo, Illinois.
The collection contains five items related to the educational achievements of the two sisters. It includes Hampton’s 1911 Marion County teaching license, Donaldson’s diplomas from Frederick Douglass School and Manual Training High School, a Butler University transcript, and a 1921 job offer letter from Cairo, Illinois.
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DETHRIDGE, LUVENA W. Papers, 1927-1954 (bulk 1927-1935). M 0523, OMB 0056. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide online. Mary Luvena Wallace Dethridge (1894–1988), most commonly known as Luvena Wallace Dethridge, was born in Richmond, Indiana. Her parents were Luther and Laura Wallace. She was married to Boston Dethridge, a worker at Reid Memorial Hospital, who died in 1979. Dethridge attended public schools in Richmond, and she studied with Samuel Garton, one-time department of music chairperson at Earlham College. Under Garton's tutelage she spent time in Italy in 1929 and again in 1930 as a student and singer.
Most of the collection documents Dethridge's work as a lyric soprano. There is correspondence, program booklets, a passport, newsletters, a scrapbook, and newspaper clippings. Also included is a scrapbook (ca. 1935) compiled by the National Association of Colored Women, correspondence from the Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Indiana, and 1944 newsletters with news of servicemen from the Perfect Circle Factory in Hagerstown, Indiana.
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DICKINSON, JESSE L. Collection, 1922–1982. M 0532. 46 boxes, 10 cubic ft. boxes. Collection guide online. Jesse L. Dickinson (1906–1982), an Indiana state legislator, was born in Chandler, Oklahoma, in 1906. He moved to South Bend, Indiana, in 1928 with his wife Helen. They were the parents of four sons: Valjean, Coleridge, Roland, and Carroll.
Dickinson served in the Indiana House from 1943 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1959. He served in the Senate from 1959 to 1963. Representing St. Joseph County, he had a distinguished legislative career as an advocate for civil rights, mental health, services to the aging, housing, prison reform, and fair employment.
The bulk of the collection contains Dickinson's legislative correspondence and material pertaining to his career in public service. He was affiliated with numerous organizations, agencies, and commissions. His papers are organized in seven major divisions: biographical information; correspondence; organizations; topics (includes 11 boxes of legislative correspondence dated from 1942 to 1965); speeches and programs; clippings; and scrapbooks.
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EANS, PAULINE B. Papers, 1926–1981 (bulk 1970s). M 0405. 1 box. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide online. Pauline Eans (1905–1981) was a teacher of nursing education. She received a B.A. degree from Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) and a M.A. in public health education from the University of Michigan. A founder of the Northwest Civic Association, she was a member of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee. In 1955 she joined the Wishard Hospital School of Nursing faculty in Indianapolis, retiring in 1977.
The collection contains materials related to Eans's work at Wishard, Alabama A &M College, and Lincoln University (Missouri), where she spent her early career. Also included are items related to her university teaching and her community service in Indianapolis.
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ENIX, ELIZABETH M. Papers, 1905–1994 (bulk 1990–1994). M 0756. 1 box. Collection guide online. Elizabeth M. Enix was born Jane Elizabeth Martin in Indianapolis in 1906. Her affiliations included the National Council of Negro Women and the Women’s Improvement Club. The collection includes correspondence, memoirs, programs, and photographs. The memoirs discuss a number of topics, including Indianapolis buildings, the 1913 Indianapolis Flood, and the Indiana Avenue neighborhood.
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FOX, O. JAMES. Collection, 1945-2002. P 0266. 1 document case, 4 OVA boxes, 3 folders color photographs, 12 color slides, 6 color negatives, 1 folder printed material. Collection guide online. O. (Oscar) James Fox was born 2 October 1914 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and raised in Lakewood, Ohio. He earned a bachelor of arts degree at Miami University in 1937 and a master’s degree in education at Western Reserve University, Cleveland, in 1964. Fox arrived in Indianapolis in 1945 as a volunteer with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). He was assigned to an urban work camp, part of Flanner House, a community center on the near west side of the city.
One of his first jobs in Indianapolis was to photo document the slum area of the near west side of the city. He also wrote poetry associated with the photographs and his experiences living in an urban neighborhood.
The collection includes black-and-white and color photographs and color slides made between 1945 and circa 1960. The photographs depict scenes of African American families, children, and the urban environment of the near west side of Indianapolis. Other color photographs document activities in the Flanner House Cannery and a party involving women and children.
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GOENS, LILLIAN MARIE. Papers, 1884-1984 (bulk 1970-1984). M 0447, OM 0134. 2 boxes, 1 folder. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide in library. Lillian Marie Goens was born in Washington, Daviess County, Indiana, and lived in Indianapolis for sixty-five years. She worked at Wishard Hospital and was active in Barnes United Methodist Church and United Methodist Women. In the early 1970s she was active in the Federation of Associated Clubs and the National Council of Negro Women. This collection includes personal material as well as programs, minutes, and newsletters of organizations with which she was involved.
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GRAY, MOSES W. Papers, 1950–1997 (bulk 1980–1996). M 0693, R 2008–2011. 15 boxes. Collection guide online. Moses William Gray (1937–), a retired General Motors manager, community activist, and civic leader, was born in Rock Castle, Goochland County, Virginia. The son of Moses Gray, Jr., a steel mill machinist and Ida Young Gray, a housewife, he was the fourth of seven siblings. Gray grew up in Conemaugh, Pennsylvania. He received a BS degree in physical education from Indiana University. He furthered his education at the University of Michigan and the General Motors Institute. Gray played football at Indiana University. He also played professionally for the Indianapolis Warriors and for the New York Titans (now New York Jets). Gray was married to Anne Marie Powell on 22 November 1962. The couple has two adopted children, Tamara Ann and William Bernard.
The 15-box collection consists primarily of materials related to Gray’s involvement with numerous community organizations. Much of the collection pertains to his advocacy for the adoption of African American children. The collection is divided into seven major subject headings: biographical and personal; adoption; education; General Motors; Indiana University; 100 Black Men, INC.; and organizations.
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GREAT BLACK HOOSIER AMERICANS. Collection, n.d. P 0180. 1 box. No collection guide available. Thirty pencil drawings by Vertine Young of notable African American men and women who were born or lived in Indiana. The subjects are as follows: members of the 28th U. S. Colored Troops (group portrait); Lt. Nobel Sissle; Madam C. J. Walker; Bishop Paul Quinn; Richard Gordon Hatcher; Reverend J. M. Townsend, D. D.; Marion Stuart; Mari Edwards; Alexander E. Manning; George L. Knox; Albert Merritt; Cleo Blackburn; Dr. Perry Julian; Russell Smith; Marshall William “Major” Taylor; Wes Montgomery; Sallie Stewart; Gen. Harry W. Brooks; Lt. Charles Hall; Todd Duncan; Mrs. W. E. B. Dubois; Judge Rufus C. Kuykendall; Anita Lucette DeFranz; Elder W. Diggs; Jesse L. Dickinson; James Edwards; Ted Chambers; George W. Stevens; Wallace N. Terry II; Starling James; Reverend John McGinty (St. Mission Church).
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GREATHOUSE, RUTH. Papers, ca. 1912-1936 (bulk 1934-1936). M 0622. 7 folders. Collection guide online. Ruth Greathouse was born in Indianapolis. Her parents were Archie and Rose Greathouse. The family home was located at 2631 N. Capitol Avenue.
The bulk of the collection includes correspondence to Ruth Greathouse from W. E. Mayo from April 1934 to August 1936. Mayo was in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Through early August 1934 he was located at Camp Knox in Kentucky, before moving to a CCC camp near Cromwell, Indiana. He wrote Greathouse generally three to four times a month. His letters detail his activities and work assignments, as well as his affection for Greathouse.
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GREEN, EMMA CASON. Papers, 1939–1983. M 0536. 1 box. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide online. The daughter of James and Rebecca Cason, Emma Cason Green (1884–1983) was born in North Middletown, Kentucky. In 1905 she married Charles Green (1884–1957), a farmer from Bourbon County, Kentucky. Four children were born of this union. During the 1940s the Green family moved to Anderson, Indiana. Throughout her life Green worked as a self-employed dressmaker.
Most of the materials relate to the life of Green. She was an avid creative writer. Two folders contain speeches and poems. There is also an autograph book and scrapbooks commemorating her 34th and 50th wedding anniversaries.
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GREER, REV. HESTER ANNA. Papers, 1880–1982. M 454. 1 box. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide online. Hester Anna Nolcox Greer (1880–1982), the daughter of John Western and Isabell Patterson Nolcox, was born and reared in Princeton, Indiana. In 1898 she married Jesse Greer (ca. 1870–1939), a minister. Floyd, Mariah Lula, Emath, and Gretchen were born to this union. Also a minister, Hester Greer pastored congregations in Princeton, Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne. She did missionary work in Jamaica and Cuba.
Most of the material in the collection relates to Greer's missionary work. It contains genealogical materials, correspondence, and an unpublished autobiography, “Life and Times of Hester Anna Greer.”
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HALL, MILDRED. Papers, 1916–2001. M 0796. 1 document case, 11 flat file folders of photographs, 6 folders photographs, 1 oversized photograph. Collection guide online. Mildred Marshall Hall, daughter of William Henry and Nettie Belle Marshall, was born on 18 April 1911 on the outskirts of Indianapolis. When Crispus Attucks High School (CAHS) was built for African American students, she was one of many students mandated to go. She spent her last two years of high school at CAHS, graduating in 1929. Hall graduated from Butler University in 1948. She married Luther E. Hall, Jr., on 28 December 1941. Mildred Hall taught in the Indianapolis Public Schools system for 32 years, retiring in 1970. She spent 30 years at IPS #26 and 2 years at School #32.
The collection contains documents pertaining to Mildred Hall and her work with the Red Cross Motor Corps, her career as a public school teacher, and her membership in the Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
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HARDRICK, JOHN. Collection, 1924–1931, n.d. SC 1980. 1 folder. No collection guide available. This collection of several newspaper clippings, mostly from the 1920s and 1930s, reference John Hardrick's (1891–1968) work as an artist. There is also mention of other artists of the period, including Henry O. Tanner, William E. Scott, and Hale Woodruff. Some of the articles are illustrated with Hardrick's work. Included in the clippings are pictures of a youthful and older Hardrick, along with a picture of Woodruff.
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HUMMONS, HENRY LYTLE. Papers, 1902–1958. SC 2317. 4 folders. Collection guide online. Henry Lytle Hummons (1873–1956) graduated from the Indianapolis Medical School in 1902. In 1919 he was instrumental in the founding of Indianapolis's first free tuberculosis center located at Flanner House. He was an active participant in the Senate Avenue Young Men’s Christian Association, serving on its board for 45 years.
The collection contains materials related to the Hoosier State Medical Association, the Indiana State Medical Association, and the Indianapolis Medical Association; a 50-year booklet from Hummons's 1896 graduation class from Knoxville College; and newspaper clippings.
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KELLEY, ELIZABETH H. Papers, 1942-1984 (bulk 1972-1980). SC 2487. 3 folders. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide online. Elizabeth H. Rile Kelley was born in Union County, Indiana. After graduating from Oxford High School in Oxford, Ohio, she matriculated at Miami University where she received an A.B. degree in 1933. In 1937 Rile married Harold B. Kelley. After the marriage they made their home in Richmond, Indiana. Two children, Marilyn Ann and Harold W., were born to this union. The Kelleys, along with Henry and Mary Ina Bass, were co-owners of the Specialty Record Shop, Inc. The shop, which opened in 1947, operated in downtown Richmond for over three decades. A prolific writer, Kelley has written numerous newspaper and magazine articles about different topics. In 1943 she organized the Readers Expression Guild, a local club for study, self-improvement, and self-expression for black women.
The collection contains biographical information pertaining to Elizabeth Kelley; Readers Expression Guild materials; and news clippings, mostly about Richmond history.
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KING, WILLIAM L. G. Memoirs, 1977. SC 2569. 5 folders. Collection guide online. William Lee Grant King (1883–1979) was born in a small town near Marietta, Georgia. He married Mae Bell King and three children were born to this union. King, who received a Masters degree from Indiana University, was a graduate of Atlanta University. For two decades, he was an industrial arts teacher at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, retiring in 1952. He later worked in the occupational therapy department at Carter Hospital. A longtime parishioner of All Souls Unitarian Church, King was an active member of the Fall Creek Young Men's Christian Association.
King's memoirs, a 142-page work, completed on 27 July 1977, are recollections compiled by the author over what appears to be more than a 10-year period (roughly 1965–77). The volume contains King's observations, ramblings, personal philosophies, and childhood stories--many of which King attributes to his parents. He discusses his life, family, and world travels. The time he spent in Indianapolis is discussed throughout the memoirs with mention of local people.
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KNIGHT, ETHERIDGE JR. Papers, 1955–2000. M 0798, OM 0409. Five document cases, 23 folders of photographs, 15 oversize folders, 2 cassettes, 8 videotapes, and 5 artifacts. Collection guide online. Etheridge Knight, Jr. (son of Etheridge, Sr., and Belzora Cozart Knight) was born in Corinth, Mississippi, on 19 April 1931. Knight joined the United States Army in 1947 and saw action during the Korean Conflict. In 1960 he was arrested for armed robbery. Knight was incarcerated at the Indiana State Prison from 1960 to 1968. While in prison, Knight began to write poetry and submit his writings to publishing houses. Following numerous rejections from publishers, Knight received his first acceptance letter from Negro Digest editor Hoyt Fuller.
Knight authored five books of poetry: Poems from Prison (Broadside Press, 1968); Black Voices from Prison (Pathfinder Press, 1970); Belly Song & Other Poems (Broadside Press, 1973); Born of a Woman (Houghton Mifflin, 1981); and The Essential Etheridge Knight (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1986). He has also been published in a wide range of periodicals and anthologies, including: A Comprehensive Survey of Black Writers of America, The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, New Black Voices, New Canadian-American Poetry, and Black World.
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LANE, RUSSELL A. Papers, 1933–1985. M 0522. 1 box. Collection guide online. Russell Adrian Lane (1897–1986), the son of George and Mattie Lane, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Lane earned four college degrees, including a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Indiana University. Lane came to Indianapolis in 1927 to teach English at the newly opened Crispus Attucks High School for black students. After being appointed English department head and acting principal, Lane became principal in 1932. He remained at Attucks until 1957, when he became assistant to the superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools.
The collection includes a lengthy biographical sketch of Lane; newspaper clippings; memorabilia from Lane’s era as principal at Attucks (that coincided with Attucks as a force in high school basketball and the breaking of the color barrier of the Indiana High School Athletic Association); and Rosie Cheatham Mickey’s dissertation, “Russell Adrian Lane: Biography of an Urban Negro School Administrator.”
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LATTIMORE, MARTHA. Papers, 1880–1907. SC 2489. 2 folders. Collection guide online. Martha Mace Lattimore (ca. 1846–?), a native of Castilian Springs, Tennessee, lived most of her life in Noblesville, Indiana.
The collection includes correspondence, a mortgage form, and one photograph. A letter from William A. Mace of Glasgow, Kentucky, to his sister Martha in Noblesville relates activities in Glasgow, as well as comments on family affairs, his state of mind, and race relations. The 1907 photograph is of Martha Lattimore’s body in a casket in the parlor of her sister’s (Lucy Jane Mace Tyree) home located in Indianapolis.
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MADDUX, WALTER H. Papers, 1915-1985 (bulk 1915-1968). M 0510. 3 boxes. Collection guide online. Walter Henry Maddux (ca. 1892–1978), a native of Kansas City, Kansas, was a physician who spent the last 35 years of his life in Indianapolis. A World War I army veteran, Maddux received degrees from the University of Kansas at Lawrence and the University of Chicago. While working at Flanner House, a social service agency, he helped found the Herman G. Morgan Health Center.
The collection contains personal and general correspondence; medical and lecture notes and case studies; material related to Flanner House and Morgan Health Center, as well as other organizations; and medical advertisements and publications. Personal correspondence includes letters to and from his wife, Willa Mack Maddux, and his mother, Dora Maddux Younger. There is also information about African American nurses, including material on the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, reflecting Willa Maddux’s training as a nurse.
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MERRIFIELD, NORMAN. Oral History Interview, 1980. SC 2728, CT1514. 1 folder, 1 cassette tape. Collection guide online. Norman Merrifield (1906-1997) was a high school music teacher. He taught at Crispus Attucks High School many years, retiring in 1967. An accomplished musician, he published several musical works including arrangements of “Somebody’s Knocking at Yo’ Door” and “Ah Done, Done.”
The collection is comprised of a cassette tape and a transcript of an oral history interview of Merrifield. Interviewed by Florabelle Wilson, Merrifield discusses his family, his father’s business, the Baptist church, and Crispus Attucks High School. He also talks about race relations and the negative impact that the Ku Klux Klan had on his south side Indianapolis neighborhood.
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MIDDLETON, HARVEY N., M.D. Papers, 1928–1978. M 0441. 9 boxes. Collection guide online. Harvey N. Middleton (1895–1978) was a cardiologist who came to Indianapolis in the mid-1930s. During the 1940s he became the first black doctor to practice at both City (now Wishard) and St. Vincent hospitals in Indianapolis. Middleton married Easter Goodnight in 1947. Four children, Zenobia, Harvey N., Jr., Ettra Marie, and Brenda Pandora, were born of this union. He was a member of several organizations, including Flanner House, the Senate Avenue Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), United Negro College Fund, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was active with the YMCA at the local, national, and international level.
The collection includes correspondence; materials on medicines and hospitals; and information about organizations and civic groups to which Middleton was affiliated. The papers especially reflect the doctor’s involvement with the Indianapolis Metropolitan, Senate Avenue, and Fall Creek Parkway YMCAs; Flanner House and the Morgan Health Center; Meharry Medical College and Middleton’s 50th class reunion; and the United Negro College Fund.
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MYERS, WILLIAM M. S. Papers, 1926–1995 (bulk 1940s, 1970–1995). M 0741. 15 boxes. Collection guide online. William Moses Samuel “Red” Myers (1914–1995) was born in Greenville, South Carolina. The son of William M.S., Sr., and Laura Belle Johnson Myers, he moved to Indianapolis in 1920. He attended elementary and secondary school in Indianapolis, graduating from Crispus Attucks High School in 1932. Later Myers attended Indiana Central University (now University of Indianapolis) and the American Institute of Banking. Myers married Erma Helen Adams on 15 November 1935. Six children were born to this union.
From 1942 to 1968, Myers worked with the Indianapolis Fire Department. Most of his time with the Fire Department, he was an engine chauffeur, operating the fire engine and fire pumps. He was stationed at Firehouse 1 for 20 years and Firehouse 22 for six years. The American Red Cross honored him for his work during the 31 October 1963 explosion disaster at the Indianapolis Coliseum. In 1968 William M.S. Myers began employment as a teller with the Indiana National Bank. Later he worked as an instructor in the Teller Training School, as a supervisor of the Mail, Messenger and Inserter Services Department, and as a property management counselor in the Real Estate Department of the Trust Division. He was a licensed real estate broker. Previously, from 1955 to 1970, he owned Myers Real Estate Company.
Myers served on the board of several organizations and institutions. His collection has materials that relate to the Civilian Conservation Corps, New Era Baptist Church, Downtown Optimist Club, Indianapolis Fire Department, Indiana Governor’s Conference on Libraries, the Indianapolis Public School Board, and the Little Red Door, an agency of the Marion County Cancer Society.
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NOLCOX, DELORES. Oral History Interview, 1979. SC 2730, CT 1515. 1 folder, 1 cassette tape. Collection guide online. Lyles Station, a black farm community in Gibson County, Indiana, was established by Joshua and Sanford Lyles before the Civil War. By the late 1800s the community had a post office, school, lumber mill, and church. Delores Nolcox and her family, interviewed by Jean Spears, discuss Lyles Station. The family also talks about Matthias Nolcox and other family members. Includes transcript of interview.
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NOLCOX, MATTHIAS. Oral History Interview, 1979. SC 2729, CT 1515. 1 folder, 1 cassette tape. Collection guide online. Matthias Nolcox (1886-1985) was a teacher and school administrator. He completed undergraduate work at Indiana University and earned a doctorate from Harvard University. He was the first principal at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis when it opened for black students in 1927.
The collection includes one cassette tape and transcript of an oral history interview of Matthias Nolcox conducted by Jean Spears. Nolcox talks about growing up in Lyles Station, his family, educational background, and his time in Europe where he studied at Oxford.
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OSBORNE, BENJAMIN A. Papers, 1928-1986 (bulk 1972-1986). M 0162, OM 328. 1 box, 2 oversize folders. Collection guide online. Benjamin Augustus Osborne (1898–1986) was born in the South American nation of British Guiana (now Guyana). While a young man he moved to Indianapolis. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1927. He graduated from the United States College of Chiropractic Medicine. From 1935 to 1943 he was a probation officer with the Marion County Criminal Court. He was elected Center Township Trustee in November 1966, a position he held until his death. As a trustee Osborne was an advocate of poor relief through public works programs.
The collection contains a small amount of correspondence, mostly related to Osborne’s tenure as Center Township Trustee. It also includes personal calendars, writings in Osborne’s hand, awards, a scrapbook, and a program booklet. The 1979 scrapbook, a get-well gift from his staff, contains photographs of several workers at their stations, along with personal handwritten wishes requesting Osborne’s recovery and return to work.
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PATTERSON, FRANCES O. Papers, 1862–1969. M 0470. 1 box. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide online. Frances O. Fowlkes Patterson’s maternal grandparents, Charles and Lucy Tyree, migrated to Indianapolis from Tennessee in the mid-1870s. Ten of the eleven Tyree children were born in Indianapolis. Charles Tyree served with the United States Colored Infantry during the Civil War.
The collection documents the life of a family during the middle third of the twentieth century. It consists of letters from Frances Fowlkes Patterson (1918–) and her brothers to their mother, Jennie Tyree Fowlkes. Other family papers include birth and death records, business contracts, receipts and bills, divorce papers, and religious pamphlets. Also included are documents dating back to the Civil War and a large collection of family photographs.
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REDD, GEORGE N. Collection, 1895–1950 (bulk 1915–1930). M 0070. 1 box. Collection guide online. The George N. Redd family, including Daisy, Dandridge, Ruth, and Georgia, lived at 836 Pratt Street (later W. 9th Street) in Indianapolis. George Redd (1874–1942) was a 33rd degree Mason and he operated a shoeshine parlor at 437 Indiana Avenue.
Most of the identifiable items in the collection appear to relate to the Redd family. There are personal papers, including correspondence, a business card, an insurance book, and school papers prepared by Dandridge and Ruth Redd. The collection contains materials relating to James E. Richardson, an African Methodist Episcopal minister in Kentucky. Also included is an 1898 pastoral certificate, a letter written by Richardson in 1917, and a small scrapbook. There are visual materials, mostly black-and-white images dating between 1895 and 1945. There are several cabinet cards, snapshots, mechanically reproduced postcards, and a cartes de visite.
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RICHARDSON, HENRY J., Jr. Papers, 1910–1992. M 0472, OMB 0028, BV 2627–2628. 33 boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 2 bound volumes. Collection guide online. Henry J. Richardson, Jr. (1902–1983), was an attorney and a leading civil rights advocate in Indiana. In 1932 he, representing Marion County, and Robert Stanton from Lake County became the first African Americans elected to the Indiana State Legislature during the twentieth century. Richardson married Roselyn V. Comer in 1938. They had two sons, Henry J., III and Rodney C. In 1949 Richardson was a leader in obtaining passage of Indiana’s school desegregation law. He was active in several organizations including, the Senate Avenue Young Men’s Christian Association, Indiana State Real Estate Commission, United Negro College Fund, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the National Urban League. He organized and helped found the Indianapolis affiliate of the Urban League in 1965.
The collection consists of correspondence with smaller amounts of printed matter, legal opinions, program booklets, scrapbooks, and clippings. It gives an excellent overview of state civil rights strides through most of the twentieth century. Of particular note is the amount of correspondence to and from prominent individuals.
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RICHARDSON, ROSELYN. Papers, 1900–1993. M 0649, OM 131. 41 boxes, 5 oversized folders. Collection guide online. The widow of Henry J. Richardson, Jr., Roselyn Comer Richardson (1913–) has been active in numerous civic, religious, educational, and political organizations. Soon after arriving in Indianapolis in 1938, as Henry’s bride, she served on the board of directors of the Phyllis Wheatley’s Young Women’s Christian Association, was co-director of the Intercollegiate Co-educational Club of the Senate Avenue Young Men’s Christian Association, and served as a director of the Flanner Guild. During the 1970s Richardson directed the Career Sampling Program at Shortridge High School. Both her sons, Henry III and Rodney C., graduated from Shortridge, their father’s alma mater. They too became attorneys.
The papers reflect Roselyn Richardson’s active involvement with several institutions and organizations. Especially prevalent are materials pertaining to the Career Sampling Program, Friends of the Indianapolis Urban League, American Friends Service Committee, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Browsers Book Club, and Dialogue Today (coalition between African American and Jewish women). The collection contains an abundance of material related to current events (1950s–90s), with an emphasis on African Americans in Indianapolis.
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ROBERTS, ELIJAH. Papers, 1832–1972. M 0325. 1 box. Collection guide online. Elijah Roberts (1795–1848) migrated from Northhampton County, North Carolina, to western Ohio in 1825. By 1830 he and some of his relatives purchased government land and farmed a community known as Beech Settlement in Rush County. After the rapid depletion of available land in Rush County, residents of the Beech and newcomers began to seek land farther west and north. Elijah Roberts and his cousins, Willis and Hanson Roberts and Micajah Walden, ventured to Jackson Township in Hamilton County, making initial land purchases during the summer of 1835. An abundance of the settlers in the township were surnamed Roberts and, the area became known as Roberts Settlement.
The materials in the collection mostly pertain to Elijah Roberts and other family members: son Peter, daughter Martha, and granddaughter Almary Roberts Wallace. There is a copy of Elijah Roberts’s 1820 certificate of freedom and his last will and testament. His many business papers spanning the middle third of the nineteenth century include tax receipts, land appraisals, and numerous promissory notes.
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SANDERS, MOZEL. Collection, 1978–1996. SC 2637. 1 folder. Collection guide online. Mozel Sanders (1924–1988), the son of Moses and Bertha Sanders, was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. Sanders accepted the call to the ministry in 1943. During his early ministry he was a vocalist and recording artist who toured the country and preached revivals. In 1959 he became the pastor of Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis.
Sanders was best known for the founding of an annual citywide Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner started in 1974 when Sanders and a few volunteers served a small group of people a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church. By the late 1970s, the dinner activities moved to the Foster Motor Lodge (formerly located at 2154 N. Illinois St.). Outgrowing the lodge, the Thanksgiving dinner moved to Arsenal Technical High School. It has been estimated that in 1987, the last Thanksgiving before Sanders’s death, over 16,000 people were fed with the help of 200 volunteers.
The one-folder collection contains several items pertaining to Mozel Sanders. There are program booklets that commemorate Sander’s 20th and 21st pastoral anniversaries; a 1978 church yearbook; and an obituary program and articles pertaining to Sanders being named the Indianapolis Star’s Man of the Year for 1988.
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SPEARS Family Papers, 1930–1986. M 0488, OM 118. 3 boxes, 3 oversized folders. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide online. Jean Douglas Spears (1925–) was born in Indianapolis. Her parents were Louis Joseph Douglas and Marion Elizabeth Brabham Douglas Burch. In 1946 Jean Douglas married Sherman Polley. They had three children, one who died in infancy. The surviving children were Claudia Anne and John Evan. After their divorce, she married John Holliday Spears. From this union one daughter, Lucia Marion, was born. Jean Spears graduated from Crispus Attucks High School and Purdue University. A retired schoolteacher, she has been involved with many community projects. She recently founded Ransom Place Historic District and the Heritage Learning Center in Indianapolis. The latter uses artifacts to showcase the history and heritage of Indianapolis African Americans.
The collection contains Jean Spears’s family papers, including materials relating to her parents, husband, children, and herself. There are ownership lists, newsletters, and other items pertaining to Fox Lake Resort located in Steuben County, Indiana. The resort was managed for several years by Spears’s mother. There are also materials relating to the National Council of Negro Women, Witherspoon United Presbyterian Church, and Allen Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.
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STARKS, DEBORAH. Papers, 1948–1986. M 0497. 1 box. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide online. Deborah Starks (1950–) was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Her parents were Beatrice and Jennie Godwin. In 1972 she moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. She married John Wesley Starks, and the couple moved to Churubusco, Indiana, in 1977. While in Fort Wayne, Starks worked as a school/community liaison for the Fort Wayne community schools.
The collection contains materials from six women, collected in the Fort Wayne area during the Black Women in the Middle West Project. The material was collected by Starks. In addition to Starks, there are materials pertaining to Corrine Brooks, Maddy Bruce, Maxine C. Hall, Marjorie Wickliffe, and Genois Wilson.
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STEWART, GEORGE P. Papers, 1894–1924. M 0556. 11 boxes. Collection guide online. George Pheldon Stewart (1874–1924) was born in Vincennes, Indiana. He married Louisville native Fannie Belle Caldwell in 1898. Six children were born to this union. Stewart co-founded the Indianapolis Recorder with Will Porter. In 1899 Porter sold his share of the newspaper to Stewart. The Stewart family owned the controlling interest until Eunice Trotter bought the newspaper in 1988. George Stewart was active in several business, political, and fraternal organizations. They included the Knights of Pythias, Negro Business League, Colored Republican Committee, and the Indiana Negro Welfare League.
The collection comprises 11 boxes divided into two parts. The first part contains personal papers pertaining to Stewart. It consists of general and political correspondence; legal papers; newspaper clippings, and information about Stewart’s organizational affiliations. Records related to the Indianapolis Recorder, a newspaper that catered to a statewide black community, make up the majority of the collection. These materials include correspondence, advertisements, files regarding sales agents, and receipts from companies with whom the Indianapolis Recorder did business. The six boxes of receipts provide a view of the business workings of the newspaper.
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TANDY, OPAL L. Papers, 1951–1983. SC 2485. 4 folders. Collection guide online. At an early age Opal Tandy (1917–1983), a Hopkinsville, Kentucky, native moved to Indianapolis. A Crispus Attucks High School graduate and a World War II veteran, he served as a Marion County deputy coroner for two years. In 1956 he unsuccessfully sought election to the Indiana House of Representatives. Tandy started his newspaper career during the 1930s. He wrote editorials and crime stories for the Indianapolis Recorder. In the 1950s he wrote for the Hoosier Herald. Gaining control of the newspaper in 1960, he changed its name to the Indiana Herald. Tandy’s widow, Mary Bryant Tandy, has published the weekly newspaper since her husband’s death.
The collection includes correspondence, certificates, and news clippings. Two 1971 letters to and from personnel at the United States Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, pertaining to Tandy’s participation in an annual National Strategy Seminar are of special interest.
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TEMONEY, RUTH MARIE. Collection, 1891-1985 (bulk 1958-1984). M 0604. 1 box. Black Women in the Middle West Project. Collection guide online. Ruth Marie Temoney (1947–) was the Kokomo, Indiana, coordinator for the Black Women in the Middle West (BWMW) Project, a collecting effort to gather primary source materials of African American Women in Illinois and Indiana. She worked as a teacher with the Kokomo Center Schools and joined the Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church